According to the American side, this step of Russia was dictated by the fact that the USA launched into orbit the USA-326 spy satellite, apparently a new generation electronic-optical reconnaissance device.
The Russian device tracked the American satellite and eventually stabilized at a distance of 80 km from it. According to the publication, the Russian satellite is an inspector – designed to monitor other satellites and repair them in Earth orbit. According to the Americans, the “inspector” is associated with killer satellites.
Source: Ferra
